


the Gate and the Jaws

by theMiragePrismatic



Series: Calamatology: Once More With Clarity [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, I'm gonna post before I talk myself out of it, Tumblr: FFXIVwrite, Tumblr: FFXIVwrite2019, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-15
Updated: 2019-10-15
Packaged: 2020-12-17 00:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21045125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theMiragePrismatic/pseuds/theMiragePrismatic
Summary: Written for Prompt Bisect - Prompt 20. It was Entry 19. Since I am attempting to post this to Ao3 in chronological order, this one is first





	the Gate and the Jaws

**Author's Note:**

> Find details in the series notes

Guilds have a long storied history in Eorzea, centers of gathering for people of a specific study to protect their craft and study secrets. Except in Ishgard. and Limsa Lominsa. And -Ala Mhigo. And Sharlayan. (okay maybe not).

Basically, Limsa Lominsa didn't have any guilds of war or magic - or rather nothing like Ul'dah's or Gridania's so when Merlwyb asserted her dominion over Limsa Lominsa in the Trident of 1563 she took a good hard look at her city and decide while freedom was all well and good, everyone needed a current or route to follow.

And so in 1571, she declared that the Arcanists would formally make a guild. There was just one small problem...

"Admiral, to codify arcanima surely you must recognize that these charlatans -"

"... the idea you can't code a water carbuncle in a city surrounded by water is pathetic and hilarious.”

"Admiral, the Barracudas barely know what arcanima is!"

"Arbiter, no spellcasting in the meeting hall." Enyzahr instructed. "_Put down your fist, Arbiter."_

"If I hear one more word about how Nasri is a hoax, I will lose my shit."

“Um...how did you do the - “

“Oh! Alright, look at this - no, not you! Her!”

"Ow! Your hooligan of a carbuncle bit me! Do you not know how to program it!"

"She has an opinion and she thinks _you should be bitten_."

The assessor giggled; at least _one _arbiter and one assessor was getting along.

"You're telling me you lot decided to create new plagues instead of something helpful like a new ward on how to prevent food from spoiling?"

Putting a number of arcanists in the room at the same time.

_There was no leader, what else what she supposed to do?_

Plagues were useful against the enemy not the Lominsan food supply. Enyzahr was already watching that group like a sea hawk. Merlwyb needed a _second_, second to deal with these people.

The boss of the custom house look just as overwhelmed as she was feeling and hiding in a distant corner while the arcanists of Mealvaan's Gate and the arcanists of the Knights of the Barracuda sniped at each other.

It had been a long term plan of course, the divide between the city's varied mages a massive one, each one having different traditions from their families, crews and clans or between mentors/apprentice groups! It first came to her attention just a few years into her Admiralship so she instructed the main body of mages, Mealvaan's Gate to organize itself. That took awhile because it wasn't a center of learning just where arcanists swapped ideas.

Evidently adding the Megaldon Arcanists to this mix was a terrible, terrible mistake.

The cacophony of arguments reverberated in the hall; the most senior research and mentor of the Gate, K'rhid was of no help at all instead in imminent danger of testing arcanima magicks in the middle of a crowded against a Megaldon arcanist.

Merlwyb pinched her nose, sighed deeply and drew her musket.

The rapid five bullet salute got silence immediately.

"Limsa Lominsa has flourished these last seven hundred summers," she said pointedly, settling her musket on the table with an audible clatter. "But things have changed; and _you lot_ are our best defense against Garlemald."

Her eyes swept over the silenced arcanists; the Gate assessors did not look very comfortable with that. The Battle of Carteneau had been... scarring. For everyone.

"Therefore, there must be _cooperation_. Collaboration. I am not mage, nor a woman of science - I want you to pass on this knowledge throughout your collective not _solely_ from mentor to student. How do you expect your great magicks to go down in history if they're indecipherable, hidden away into encoded journal only your apprentice who may die at sea has access to?"

"You are brilliant, every one of you - squabbles are for pirates, Please spare me the headache. Now. Mealvaan's Gate will continue their usual duties as the city's assessors of goods and immigration in addition to teaching, correct?"

Her gaze drifted to K'rid Tia but after an uncomfortable silence, a Roegadyn - Thubyrgeim - spoke up.

"Yes; we've developed a good class structure, Admiral."

"Good. As for _the Jaws_,"

The Megalodon Arcanists were easy to pick up; they looked more like hardened mariners, draped in long red coats and flamboyant hats, armed with a pistol as often as a grimoire and they perked up.

"The Jaws are our seaward arcanists. 6th Squadron, I'm conscripting you to build our military arcanists numbers."

Someone raised their hand.

"Yes, that means I will not be taking any Gate arcanists to the battlefield in the future.”

To her great relief both the Gate and Megalodon - 6th Squadron was formerly a Barracuda division and they deserved the nickname - arcanists seemed pretty cheered by this but then the Megalodon arcanists spent a lot of time at sea magicking cannons and warping reality.

"Now." she said. "Why don't you impress me and find a friend in the opposite division? You have an hour to brainstorm _something_, anything, it doesn't matter what it is."

She felt like a school teacher. She also needed to find a spokesperson in this mess.


End file.
